First, my sympathy goes out to the family of Steven Wallace. I acknowledge their anguish. His life has gone, and he will not come back to this life. I also acknowledge the anguish felt by the police officer who killed him. That fact will always be with him.
I do not think that Mr Prebble, Mr Ryall, and Mr Mark really understand what is happening on the streets of New Zealand at this time. I do not think they understand what the recent events at Waitara mean to the people of New Zealand. This debate is not about whether we are pro-police or anti-police; it is about whether we are prepared to look at the reality of what is going on in our country and come to grips with the facts.
There are real concerns amongst the people of this country — concerns that will not go away by ignoring them or trying to sweep them under the carpet. What are those concerns? There are concerns about police procedure. Why was the officer armed when Wallace was not carrying a gun? The public accepts that if a person is armed or holding a hostage, then the armed offenders squad will deal with that person. But that did not apply in this case. When officers are armed it reduces the likelihood of their thinking creatively about how to resolve situations in non-violent ways.
What about the protocols for use, the flexibility of response, the fact that our officers are trained to aim at the largest body mass when shooting, and the comparison of that with the obligation to use minimum force? These are contradictions in the training of our police officers.
Why were other options not used? I understand that there were dogs on the way from New Plymouth. The officer is said to have backed into a shop when trying to avoid Steven Wallace. I wonder how that happened when one can back down a street. Steven Wallace was shot four times. There are stories that he was denied care as he lay bleeding. These are concerns to the people of our country.
People also have concerns about the attitudes of some police officers. The Prime Minister has referred to the report by Te Puni Kokiri and the police themselves recognise that there is racism in the police force, as there is in New Zealand society. Mr Prebble said that he did not see racism when he went to Waitara. It is like someone going to a bar and saying: "I didn't see any sleazy behaviour, as a man." Well, of course not; it is not directed at him.
There is a history of injustice in Taranaki, a history of land confiscation and of peaceful resistance leading to imprisonment and death. For some people in Taranaki this incident is not an isolated one; it is just another outrage, another atrocity, that has happened to their people by the forces of the State. As a person who has experienced prejudice by police officers in my daily life, I have to acknowledge that. There have been times in my life when I have been pulled over by the police, stopped, and searched for no reason other than their not liking my appearance.
Hon. Dr Nick Smith: It might be because the member broke the law.
NANDOR TANCZOS: I question whether some of the members of this House who are so quick to speak have ever been searched by the police without any grounds. I recognise that not all police officers are racist. However, the unfortunate reality is that for some people the only police they ever meet are the racist ones, because they are the only ones who stop them to search and harass them on the streets of our country.
Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am sorry to interrupt the member's speech.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: I hope it is a legitimate point of order.
Gerry Brownlee: It most certainly is. A member of this House can take a point of order at any time he or she feels an offensive remark has been made that he or she personally considers offensive. The remarks made by that member imply that there are a number of police in this country who are racist. I find that totally unacceptable and offensive.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member will sit down. I just say to the honourable member that that is a matter for debate. We have free democracy here, as I stated when Mr Prebble was speaking. He spoke forcefully and he spoke his mind, as he is perfectly entitled to do. The same applies to the honourable member from the Green Party. That member is entitled to speak his mind openly and freely without spurious points of order from the honourable member.
Gerry Brownlee: It is not a spurious point.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: I will not take any argument from the member. Until the Green member's speech is finished, he will leave the Chamber forthwith. We will have no more tantrums, such as slamming books down. Gerry Brownlee withdrew from the Chamber.
NANDOR TANCZOS: I think that most police officers in our country would recognise the importance of addressing these questions. Most of them do not want to be tarred with the brush of racism that some of their colleagues leave them open to.
There are concerns in this country about the Police Complaints Authority. There is a distrust amongst many members of the public about the authority's ability to do anything other than to defend police against complaints. People say: "How can we have faith in the Police Complaints Authority when the police investigate themselves and the authority just forwards the report?". That is the perception among some people.
The Police Complaints Authority does not have the resources to investigate complaints of its own. This is an issue of great importance. When it comes to an incident such as the one in Waitara, if people do not have faith in the ability of the Police Complaints Authority to investigate complaints independently, then how can we expect them to be satisfied with the result?
These are huge questions in people's minds. These matters will not be resolved by sweeping them under the carpet, as some in this House would like to do. This is an opportunity to discuss real issues — not some of the rubbish that comes before the House about who is receiving media training, and things of that nature, but issues about life and death, about the place of our people, and about the alienation, marginalisation, and oppression that people face in our country.
So for the peace of mind of all New Zealanders, and, more generally, for the peace of mind of the police who do not hold to some of the attitudes that the police are being criticised for, I think it is important that we see a serious discussion of these issues.
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